ENG v PAK, 2nd Test Review: England complete emphatic win

England clinched the second Test of the ENG v PAK series courtesy of a mammoth 330-run victory at Old Trafford. The win sees England draw level against Pakistan given the fact that the latter claimed an impressive victory in the first Test at Lord’s.

One of the most memorable aspects of the match included Joe Root’s incredible innings of 254 apart from the fact that he also went on to smash one of the quickest half-centuries for England in Test cricket. As for Pakistan, things went from bad to perhaps the worst in a few moments of madness and a few reckless shots to help England towards a win with an entire day to spare.

Day one kicked off with England opting to bat first on a wicket that boasted of both swings as well as assistance for spinners. However, the Pakistani bowlers failed to capitalize on the conditions as the England batsmen, Joe Root and Alastair Cook in particular made merry and plundered the hapless Pakistani bowling attack. Yasir Shah, in spite of being ranked as the number one bowler in the world, went wicket-less against the duo. Alastair Cook eventually fell for a well-made 105 while Joe Root remained unbeaten at the end of Day 1.

Day 2 was all about one man – Joe Root. The latter quickly reached his double century and also went on to score one of the best knocks ever played by an Englishman on English soil. Moreover, the fact that he eclipsed former batsman Jonathan Trott’s 168 at the MCG made this particular knock all the more special. Chris Woakes, the hero of the Lords Test for England struck once again as he picked up three wickets on the cusp of the close of play on Day 2 as Pakistan found themselves tottering at 57/4.

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The morning sunshine of Day 3 was smiling on England as a dark cloud dwelled over Pakistan as they began losing wickets. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (52) and Wahab Riaz (38) held the Pakistan resistance for a while before eventually being bowled out for a paltry 198, 352 runs adrift of England’s mammoth total, a quintessential light-year away. Moreover, the fact that Alastair Cook decided on batting once more saw most people as well as those embracing the cosplay with their jaws drop.

However, in spite of losing the wicket of Alex Hales, Root and Cook once again made merry as they smashed the ball to different parts of Old Trafford. Moreover, the fact that they were effortlessly playing the Pakistan bowling, it was evident that Misbah of all people clearly did not have a plan. That said, Joe Root and Alastair Cook reached their respective half-centuries while the former reached his landmark rather quickly.
The second Pakistan innings effectively summarized what the visitors had been missing for the most part. They were skittled out for 234 with Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes claiming 6 wickets between them. Joe Root picked up the man of the match award while the vanquished skipper Misbah-ul-Haq conceded that they had to pick their game up if they wanted to pose a bigger threat in the upcoming Test match.

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Brief Scores

England, 1st innings: 589/8 (J Root 254; W Riaz 3/106)

Pakistan, 1st innings: 198 all out ( Misbah 52; C Woakes 4/67)

England, 2nd innings: 173/1 (A Cook 76*; M Amir 1/43)

Pakistan, 2nd innings: 234 all out (M Hafeez 42; C Woakes 3/41)

Man of the match: Joe Root